Langevin Outlines Cybersecurity Challenges and Solutions at URI Symposium
Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) helped kick off an all-day Cybersecurity Symposium that he had commissioned at the University of Rhode Island, which brought together top cybersecurity leaders, including keynote speaker General Keith Alexander, Director of the National Security Agency and US CYBERCOM, to raise awareness about the increasing threat of cyber attacks, recommend solutions and highlight the important work being done at the school. The event took place after a recent hearing where the Director of the CIA said, "The next Pearl Harbor may very well be a cyber attack." Langevin stressed the need to build partnerships between federal needs, academic research and industry solutions to protect our information and critical infrastructure. He emphasized that Rhode Island should take this opportunity to continue its leadership on national security and create jobs by building an industry that is in great demand.
(The Congressman's full opening remarks as prepared for delivery may be found below.)
"Today our nation still stands largely unprepared to deal with these very real threats," said Langevin. "The government currently only has a limited role in offering assistance to private owners of our critical infrastructure and .com networks. We are also still struggling with how to defend critical systems while protecting our civil liberties and privacy."
Langevin spoke about legislation he introduced to protect our critical infrastructure and work to address current weaknesses in our security policy by increasing coordination among federal agencies and between the public and private sectors. His proposal establishes one national office to oversee cybersecurity, while ensuring the government and military can acquire the best technology and undergo regular reviews to evaluate their performance.
"However, all the best ideas won't keep us secure without the right people to execute them, and our nation's cyber workforce is not large enough to match the scale of these threats," said Langevin. "Experts have estimated that the U.S. has fewer than 1,000 people with the advanced security skills to effectively compete in cyberspace, but the reality is that we need 20,000 -- 30,000. The cornerstone of this effort begins in the classroom, from our secondary schools to places like URI's Digital Forensics Center
"This symposium is a way to bring together local businesses and regional academic partners. We must harness the talent and creativity of students at institutions like URI and incorporate the perspectives of public and private entities to build a competitive cyber workforce that meets our national security needs. In order to strengthen the pipeline for these jobs, we need to engage all of our state's schools, businesses, universities and other invested partners in a common goal."
Participating with Langevin in the opening of the event were: Dr. Peter Alfonso, Vice President, URI Research and Economic Development; Dr. David M. Dooley, President, University of Rhode Island; and US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. General Alexander then offered the keynote address followed by panel discussions on Cyber Forensics, Cyber Threats to Critical Infrastructure, and Network Security and Trust, and closing remarks by the Congressman on his cybersecurity legislation.
Opening Remarks of Congressman James R. Langevin
University of Rhode Island Cybersecurity Symposium
April 11, 2011
As Prepared for Delivery
Good morning! I am proud to welcome all of you to the URI Cybersecurity Symposium! I would like to thank President Dooley for hosting this event. Your commitment and leadership on this and other important education issues are a real inspiration, and I have been proud to work with you over the years on our shared priorities.
I would also like to thank the URI team, headed by Dr. Alfonso, for planning this event, my colleague Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, General Keith Alexander and our many distinguished panelists and speakers.
Ladies and gentlemen, because of our growing reliance on cyberspace for critical services, national defense, and daily needs, as well as the open and trusting architecture of the internet that adversaries are trying to exploit, our country faces increasing challenges from threats online. These threats range from targeting our critical infrastructure to the systems which protect our sensitive classified information. This situation is made more difficult by the fact that these already challenging and complex threats are growing in dynamic ways; making it nearly impossible for us to stay ahead of the thousands of new attacks or vulnerabilities that are discovered literally every day.
Perhaps one of the most significant changes in our culture over the past decade has been the extent to which the American public is discovering the profound effects of the internet on their daily lives. From accessing our bank accounts on our computers to connecting to social networks from our phones, our reliance on the internet affects every aspect of our life, and does so at an increasingly early age. I recently attended an assembly with 230 8th graders, and when I asked how many of them had a Facebook page, almost every hand shot up.
Because of this shift in our society serious new vulnerabilities have also emerged. In 2010 alone, researchers recorded 662 breaches at large companies or federal agencies that left exposed 16.2 million records. This data enables cyber criminals to pray on citizens and companies, with some estimates putting the cost of cyberthreats to our economy at $8 billion annually. But these threats do not just come from cyber criminals. It is estimated that there are 1.8 billion attacks on our government servers every month.
In February, I attended a hearing where the CIA Director and Director of National Intelligence described our susceptibility to cyber terrorist attacks that could shut down government agencies, power grids or financial markets. While we have not yet seen the worst weapons in the hands of the worst actors, Director Panetta noted that, "the potential for the next Pearl Harbor could very well be a cyber-attack."
As a member of the House Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, I have seen firsthand how securing our networks against hackers, terrorists, organized crime, and foreign powers has become an ever greater component of our national and economic security strategies. This is particularly important as many have noted that countries such as Russia, China, and Iran are focused on investing significant resources into cyber capabilities.
From the government's perspective we have the challenge of defending .mil and .gov networks. Our military has stood up a new Cyber Combatant Command, led by NSA director, General Keith Alexander, to protect military networks. Beyond this the Department of Homeland Security, has also been increasing their efforts to protect federal civilian systems, with the hard work of people like Doug Maughan. Every day both of these agencies have hundreds of dedicated men and women working incredibly hard to develop solutions to protect our military and federal networks from attack.
However, today our nation still stands largely unprepared to deal with these very real threats. The government currently only has a limited role in offering assistance to private owners of our critical infrastructure and .com networks. We are also still struggling with how to defend critical systems while protecting our civil liberties and privacy.
Adding to these challenges, there is no one single person or office leading our government's efforts to keep our networks safe. As a co-chair of the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Commission on Cybersecurity, I have spoken out countless times about these deficiencies and called for reform. While some meaningful gains have been made in the past few years, many of the same challenges remain unsolved and many of our nation's networks continue to be vulnerable.
I am working with many people, including leaders like Senator Whitehouse, to bring our nation in line with the technological realities facing us online. I introduced legislation that would protect our critical infrastructure and work to address current weaknesses in our security policy by increasing coordination among federal agencies and between the public and private sectors. My proposal establishes one national office to oversee cybersecurity, while ensuring the government and military can acquire the best technology and undergo regular reviews to evaluate their performance.
However, all the best ideas won't keep us secure without the right people to execute them, and our nation's cyber workforce is not large enough to match the scale of these threats. Experts have estimated that the U.S. has fewer than 1,000 people with the advanced security skills to effectively compete in cyberspace, but the reality is that we need 20,000 -- 30,000. The cornerstone of this effort begins in the classroom, from our secondary schools to places like URI's Digital Forensics Center.
Rhode Island has a long history of working to protect and serve our nation. With the talent we are developing in our Universities, high tech industry, and local military community, we stand ready to rise to this challenge. As we also look to strengthen Rhode Island's economy, which continues to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, this challenge also offers an opportunity to increase sustainable job growth opportunities.
Last year, I hosted the Rhode Island Summit on the Economy, or RISE. The goal of this event was to bring together leaders in the state to brainstorm the best paths to economic recovery. Over the course of the day, two common themes emerged we need to close the skills gap and we must encourage collaboration between the business and education sectors.
This symposium is a way to bring together local businesses and regional academic partners. We must harness the talent and creativity of students at institutions like URI and incorporate the perspectives of public and private entities to build a competitive cyber workforce that meets our national security needs. In order to strengthen the pipeline for these jobs, we need to engage all of our state's schools, businesses, universities and other invested partners in a common goal.
Cyber skills should be a core fundamental of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, which are critical to improving our country's innovation. Rhode Island can be a leader in this effort. Along with partners including the Rhode Island Department of Education, STAC and Tech Collective, I helped launch a cyber program to foster computer security skills at the high school level.
The Rhode Island Cyber Foundations Competition, as one headline stated, "aims to make cybergeeks cool." We want to show the next generation that an interest in computers is not just a hobby, it can become a career. Over 140 students from 18 high schools across the state signed up for the initial six week challenge, which ended this past Friday. By partnering with others in the cyber community, we hope this competition will grow into a model for developing young talent.
In Rhode Island we have the drive to rise to this national security and workforce challenge. URI has been a leader, training students to secure the information infrastructures of government, private companies, nonprofits and academia. The school has produced notable alumni, including the deputy chief of the FBI's Cyber Division. Building on their accomplishments, we can help our local economy by creating jobs and supporting an industry that is in great demand.
But we need institutions like URI and we need all of you here today. I hope you are able to learn from our distinguished speakers, and to discuss these issues among your colleagues sitting around you today and to find opportunities for collaboration. Just as President Kennedy rallied the nation to meet the challenge of Sputnik, we must rally to meet these new challenges facing our nation online. We have the talent in Rhode Island and across the nation to help get us there. I'm excited to get started, and for what lies ahead for our state's cyber workforce!
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